


You Have to be Brave

by tspofnutmeg



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, eventual OT4 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 10:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17806127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tspofnutmeg/pseuds/tspofnutmeg
Summary: It's easy to fight for someone you love. It feels like a noble and righteous sacrifice. It's harder to fight side by side with someone who loves you back, but it's better. It makes you smarter. Stronger. Stubborn enough to claw your way back from destruction when you're only filled with black despair.





	1. Chapter 1

Poe Dameron wasn't the  _just let it happen_  type. As soon as they were safe enough to take a few deep breaths, as soon as they knew Rose was going to make it, as soon as General Organa had a plan, Poe let the reality of everything sink in.

He was prepared for loss, they all had to be, but not at this scale. Paige and Tallie, his x-wing, their fleet, their base, most of their  _family_. He almost lost BB-8. He almost lost Finn.

Despite everything they've already faced, the real battle was still in front of them. Poe didn't want to rush into it with a weight in his chest. If he came out of it alive at the end he didn't want any regrets.

It had been a long time since The Poe Dameron felt this off-kilter. Probably not since first meeting General Organa. Sure, plenty of problems and disasters had come up since then, but nothing like this. Poe had pushed away any pursuits of his own happiness for the Resistance. He had something else to work for, someone else’s safety, someone else’s survival. It wasn’t about  _him_ , it was about the greater good. It’s easy to be brave for someone else.

But Leia had seen the looks, the connection, the  _spark_  in his eyes when it came to Finn. She wanted to give him the nudge he needed.

Poe had known the vague story of how Princess Leia Organa had fallen in love with the dashing smuggler Han Solo during the fight against the Empire, but he never paid much attention to it. His parents had also met in the Rebellion and they were right in front of him, unabashedly in love and unconstrained by the responsibility to keep face in front of the galaxy.

Besides, until Starkiller Base, Poe had never seen Han and Leia together. General Organa had lost her son and her husband and it seemed best to leave it at that.

But one night - maybe it wasn't, night and day didn't matter much on the run in space - Leia invited Poe into the cockpit where it was just her and Chewbacca. she patted the passenger seat behind Chewie and waited for him to sit down before speaking.

"Han was a hot headed, arrogant, and idiotic son of a thala siren."

"Sounds like someone else you know," Poe joked, but it was still tinged with regret over his behavior toward Admiral Holdo.

Leia laughed and said, "Close, but no one could ever compare Shara to one of those creatures. Kes, maybe."

Poe smiled at the fondness in her voice when she spoke about his parents.  

"But Han was different after Hoth," Leia continued, "He was still all those things, but he became more than that. When we were tricked and met Vader on Cloud City, Han immediately drew his blaster and shot. And I knew it wasn't just because he was our enemy. Han did it for me. To protect me, to avenge me. That's when I could finally admit to myself I loved him.

"It's easy to fight for someone you love, Poe. It feels like a noble and righteous sacrifice. It's harder to fight side by side with someone who loves you back, but it's  _better_. It makes you smarter. Stronger. Stubborn enough to claw your way back from destruction when you're only filled with black despair."

Poe looked over and watched the reflection of streaked starlight on Leia's face. Grief and loss were a part of her, but even more so were hope and affection and passion.

Reaching over, she gripped Poe's hand fiercely, just like his mother did when she had something important to say. "Whatever's ahead of us will be the toughest battle we've ever fought. We can't do this alone, Poe, and we can't do this without love. Go be brave like I know you are."

Chewbacca roared his agreement as Poe left the cockpit, determined.

\---

For luck, Poe kissed his mother’s ring before slipping it back underneath his shirt.

“Finn, buddy,” Poe called over their personal comms, “I have to talk to you about something.”

Worry bubbled in Finn’s chest at hearing the concern laced through Poe’s voice. He responded quickly, “Yeah, of course, I’ll be right there.”

He stood, taking off his gloves and shaking them out before throwing them into his tool carrier.

Finn found Poe sitting in what they had all agreed was the most private corner of the  _Falcon_ , knee bouncing and fingertips tapping the tabletop. Poe was nervous -  _really_  nervous - about whatever he was going to tell him.

Finn gave Poe's shoulder a squeeze before he sat down across from him. He tried to smile and speak in a calm and even voice. “What's going on, Poe?”

Poe opened and closed his mouth several times. This was a lot more difficult with Finn's beautiful face right in front of him. He took a deep breath, but his words came out soft and uncertain, “Are you and Rey…?”

Finn looked at him, waiting for the rest of the question.

“You know... together.”

“Together?” Finn repeated.

“ _Together_.”

Luckily for Finn - maybe not so much for Poe - Rey was only in the next hold over. Finn shouted, “Hey Rey! Are we together?”

Poe shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as Rey walked over to their corner and looked between them. He hadn't planned on Rey being part of this conversation. 

“Together?” Rey repeated, not sure what he meant.

“Okay, enough of that. Do you two have romantic feelings for each other?” Poe asked. Straight to the point, that was the Bey-Dameron way.

Finn and Rey looked each other in the eyes, possibly searching for an answer. They turned their attention back to Poe and in unison said, “No.”

Poe looked that them shocked, mouth falling open slightly. This was what he'd been afraid of this whole time. “Wait, what? Really?”

Rey shrugged her shoulders and said, “We love each other and we have a very strong bond and connection, but it isn't like that. It's hard to explain, but I know my feelings for him aren't like the feelings he has for-”

Finn's foot shot out and kicked Rey's shin a little bit harder than he meant before loudly speaking over her, “We know it isn't romance, but it isn't like brother-sister either. But we want to be with each for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t also be with other people.“

 _Suspicious._  Poe didn't miss Finn intentionally interrupting Rey. He asked, "Other people?"

"Yup, other people," Finn said, finding a scorch mark on the plating of the  _Falcon_  suddenly very interesting. Mostly because it was in the opposite direction of Poe.

Poe crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat and took on a thoughtful tone. "Other people like who? Like Snap? Snap would make a good partner, he's very protective and gives good hugs."

"Poe you have to know I don't know who that is."

"Right, because you know exactly 5 people and 2 droids here. We've established it's not Rey. BB-8 and Threepio are already spoken for," Poe leaned in again, like he does in the cockpit when he can sense he's about to get a target lock. "I can safely assume it's not General Organa or Chewbacca. So it's down to me and Rose.”

There are many tense situations Finn didn't know how to handle. Being cornered by Poe is one of them, so he relented, "Fine! It's you, Poe! I have feelings for you and they're romantic and sentimental and I don't understand them and I don't know what to do with them, but they're there." 

Only a heartbeat passed before a grin stretched across Poe's face. "Great!"

"Great?" Finn asked, almost mad, but mostly confused.

"Yeah, I have those feelings for you too," Poe explained, "Except I do pretty much understand them and know what to do with them."

Finn stared at Poe's obnoxiously pleased face for a long time before he thought of anything to say. "But you call me 'Buddy.'"

"I call everyone buddy, it's not a classification!" Poe retorted.

"It's true," Rey confirmed, "I heard him saying 'you sure look good buddy' to his evening meal yesterday."

"See!"

“I don't understand what's happening,” Finn admitted, looking up at Rey for help.  

Rey patted his shoulder and nodded at him in reassurance before she walked away. Maybe it was the Force, but something was telling her this was going in a happy direction.

Once Finn returned his gaze, Poe reached for the chain around his neck and pulled it over his head. “This ring belonged to my mom. Her and dad exchanged them after they both 'miraculously' came out of Endor alive. She gave it to me before she died and told me to keep it until I met the right person to give it to.”

The ring had caught Finn’s attention a few times, but there was never time to ask about it.

“I want you to have it.”

“But Poe… that's so important to you,” Finn protested. He didn't realize his hand on the table opened up to receive it.

“So are you, Finn," He smiled and gently dropped the ring and chain into Finn's waiting palm. "No matter what the First Order throws at us, no matter how many lightyears are between us, I want you to have this and know that I'm fighting by your side. That I'll do my damnedest to get back to you, so you better stay alive and get back to me too."

A hundred what-if questions flashed through Finn's mind as he looked at the ring, but that was fear talking. It was doubt. It was what the First Order taught him; that he was expendable, unworthy, and alone. But it wasn't true. Rey and the Resistance taught him that.

Poe had showed him kindness. Faith. He believed him - believed  _in him_  - when he had every reason to do the opposite. He slid the chain around his neck. The weight of it felt reassuring and would remind him he had a home he needed to return to.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

As quickly as she could, which was much sooner than she really should have, Rose was up and about helping however she could. It was a lot of working with the wookiee pilot, Chewbacca, and Rey. Rose couldn't believe she spent so much time with  _The Rey_  - Jedi, pilot, and mechanical whiz. She was a hero, swooping in to take out TIE fighters and moving an entire avalanche to rescue the remains of the Resistance. How did someone like her end up side by side, elbow deep in oil and grease, with someone like Rey?!

At first Rose was nervous and sweaty all the time, stumbling over her words and dropping tools, but Rey never seemed to mind. She smiled and laughed softly and never made Rose feel bad. She did the opposite, actually. Rey was so impressed with the way Rose could cobble together droids and interfaces. If Rose didn’t know what a part was or what it did, Rey would take the time to explain it to her in a way she would remember later. They both had experience making somethings out of nothing, and when they did it together, it ended up being better than they could do alone.

All of it made Rose want to be around Rey as much as possible.

It wasn't until one day when Finn slid into a seat across from her at the table, that she was forced to confront the gooey feeling Rey gave her. Rose didn't trust the smug grin on his face or the way he raised his eyebrows at her. Good thing Rose always kept her electro-shock prod on her. She could give him a quick zip zap if he got out of line.

“You like her,” Finn said, thankfully quiet enough the people passing by wouldn't hear. “Don't you?”

“Of course I like her! She's like a sister to me,” she replied.

“Is that really it?”

“Yes! And we work together great. Look at all the repairs we’ve made, how many things we’ve pieced together from scrap! We’re an unstoppable team for the Resistance!”

“Is that  _really_  it?” Finn asked again, giving Rose one of the most serious looks she’d ever seen him make.

This time Rose stopped to think before replying, working her bottom lip with her teeth. Was that really all it was? Being around Rey was almost like having Paige back, but no one could ever replace her sister in her heart. It also seemed disrespectful to say Rey was just a replacement or just friend because it was more than that. She was a companion, maybe. When she was with Rey she felt happy and safe, almost invincible, and it wasn’t because Rey was a Jedi.

Rose had to admit it was  _different_  from how she'd felt about other people in her life. Her eyes lingered on Rey in a different way. She knew the different faces Rey made when she was trying to figure out a problem, what each of her smiles meant, the signals of when she was getting tired (but needed someone else to tell her to rest).

The only other person she knew that much about was Paige, but that was a given, they were always close and always together. It was a sister thing. With Rey it was something special, something she put effort into, and that made her feel so warm inside. Rose wanted to bathe in that warmth as long as she could. She wanted to be close to Rey, touch her,  _kiss her_.

Wait. Kiss Rey? She wanted to kiss Rey?

Kiss. Rey. 

“Oh,” Rose whispered.

“Oh,” Finn repeated, with a tone of  _about damn time you realized it._

Rose turned redder than the soil on Crait and buried her face in her arms on the table.

“What am I supposed to do, Finn?” Rose asked.

“You could tell her.”

“I'm being serious!”

“So am I, Rose!” He lowered his voice and gently prompted her, “You should tell her."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose leaned back and eyed Finn skeptically. “What's your game, Big Deal? You know something I don't?”

Finn rolled his eyes and replied, “I know that sometimes things work out when you're brave. Like when you protect the escape pods from deserters or crash into a friend to save his life. Those things turned out pretty well, didn't they?"

“Yeah, I guess so,” Rose admitted. “You’re pretty smart sometimes, ya’ know.”

Finn grinned, “Of course I am, I’m with the Resistance.”

—

“Rose kissed me today,” Rey said almost casually, taking a seat across from Finn. She picked up a piece of dewback steak from his plate and popped it in her mouth.

Finn put down the holopad he was reading. He knew this would happen. Well, not this exactly (except that Rey would steal his food, that always happens), but he knew Rey would come to him when Rose finally made a move. He asked what he felt was the most important question, “Did you like it?”

A little nose scrunch. “I did,” Rey admitted. “It was really cute, Finn. She came marching over while I was working on that awful heat regulator. At first I thought she had finally gotten her hands on a quad stabilizer, but she stopped and basically shouted -  _shouted!_  - that she had feelings for me and would like to kiss me, if that was okay with me.”

“And you said yes.”

“I said yes.”

A few moments of silence passed before Finn spoke, “Rose’s kisses are nice.”

Rey smiled. “They are. They’re like when you find a perfectly ripe desert plum”

“Does everything come back to food with you?” Finn joked.

“Yes.”

They both laughed softly before Finn spoke again. “Do you have feelings for her?”

Rey’s shoulders cracked as she rolled them. She had thought about it a lot, not just in the context of Rose, but also when Poe had asked if she had feelings for Finn. She didn’t, she still doesn’t, it wasn’t what people described to her as  _romance_  or  _falling in love_. Those didn’t feel right to her. Finn was her first friend, her family. Rose was special too, in a little bit of a different way.

Before Rey could answer, Rose turned the corner into the room. She was walking with a purpose, but she slowed as she approached, losing some of the steam she had now that she could see Rey’s perfect face.

Rose stopped in front of their table and cleared her throat. As confidently as she could, she said, “Finn, I-I need to talk with Rey.”

“Okay,” Finn replied. It wasn't until they were both staring at him he realized it meant he needed to leave. Finn let out a  _hmph_ , muttering under his breath something about Rey being there when he confessed to Poe, and made sure to take his food with him as he left.

Rose waited until he was out of sight and took his seat, folding her hands on the tabletop.

“I didn't… I didn't mean to just… run away like like that,” Rose explained, “I had planned on asking if you wanted to go get a caf and talk about feelings and stuff. But then my knees started to give out and my face felt like I was standing behind an x-wing engine as it took off, and… you know the rest.”

Rey did. She used all of her Force training to not laugh as Rose awkwardly backed away, thanking her for the opportunity. Unfortunately Snap was passing by behind her, carrying a box of spare parts. She accidentally backed into him, spilling it everywhere. Snap was unfazed, but Rose basically ran out of the hanger once it was cleaned up. It was endearing, just like practically everything Rose did.

She was so glad Rose was here.

“Can I hold your hand?” Rey asked.

Rose's eyes widened before she nodded. Unfolding her hands, she wiped them off on her jumpsuit before reaching them out toward the middle of the table. She didn't know which one Rey wanted, so she figured it's best to give the option of both. Maybe she'd hold both. That would probably be doubly nice, right?

Rey took them both. Her hands were warm and Rose liked their roughness. It was from years of hard work. Her parents and Paige’s hands felt the same.

Rey smiled at Rose when she looked up from staring at their interlocked hands.

“I care about you very much. I like spending time with you. I like making you smile and giving you hugs. I like holding your hand like this. I liked when you kissed me,” She paused, smiling and squeezing Rose's hand in reassurance. “I can't tell you what else I'll like doing in the future, and if you're looking for something like what Poe and Finn have, I don't-”

“No!” Rose shouted. “Finn and Poe are Finn and Poe. I want whatever makes  _us_  happy, whatever  _we_  want to share with each other. And if that's fixing ships and sharing meals and holding hands and sometimes kissing, that's amazing. And if it changes in the future, that's great too.

“I just want both of us to be happy. Together,” Rose finished.

Rey felt a peace wash over her as she looked at Rose. Loyal, brave, brilliant, gentle Rose Tico. Rey promised herself to keep her fiercely close.

“Let's do it. Let's be happy together,” Rey agreed.

Rose started crying and laughing, and Rey gripped her hands harder.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Rey, Rose, Finn, and Poe couldn’t anticipate the way the fight against the First Order ramped up, but they were going to meet it head on with everything they had. With their new found bond and strengthened connections, they became the power team of the Resistance.

Leia had left Poe in command as she left to unite the scattered forces still loyal to the New Republic and anyone who now saw the true threat of the First Order. He felt the weight of the position and vowed to do right by Leia and the leaders they lost along the way. The first step was using the crew as best he could.

Finn knew the most about the First Order and tactics in general. He helped plot missions and figure out the safest places for them to go while they worked through their plans. Rose was invaluable, not only having the the trust of everyone on board, but she could rig up a machine or device for whatever they needed. Even the most seasoned mechanics came to her with questions or to double check their work. Rey was the perfect commando - strong, fast, lithe. She could get in anywhere, fly or find anything, and could handle herself in a fight.

Rey also had the Force. Her gut, or whatever it was, pulled them out of some tight spots and gave them the edge to eek out some wins. It was a confidence boost to everyone fighting that they had a Jedi on their side.

Besides all the practical reasons, the four of them made people smile. They made people believe in a future - one that was worth fighting for. It was what the Resistance needed to see as a beacon leading the way.

At a more personal level, things were good.

That may be an unimpressive statement for some, but considering the unpredictable and dangerous nature of their lives,  _good_  was really all they wanted. A small light they could keep in their hearts when the darkness tried to envelop them. A constant warmth could keep them going through the bitter battles.

It felt good to be together, and who didn’t need more goodness in their lives.

 

* * *

 

Like everything they did, Finn and Poe’s relationship was quick to go all in. After the initial walls were knocked down, Finn was an outpouring of honesty.

It wasn’t just about his feelings for Poe, but about everything. What it was like growing up in the First Order, and all the ways they tried to brainwash and break them. How the closest thing he ever had to a friend practically betrayed him and then died in his arms at Jakku, probably wondering why Finn didn’t shoot back and save him.

Poe never doubted Finn’s good heart, but his fear, his urge to run made so much sense after those long talks. After Hosnian Prime, the galaxy witnessed the ruthlessness of the First Order, but Finn saw the up close and personal cruelty. He knew their violence wasn’t just a means to an end, those bastards  _liked it_.

He also knew that if they could get their hands on him, they’d try to turn him back into what he was before. Finn couldn’t go back to being an obedient tool, devoid of kindness, and never knowing caring. Thankfully, no one in the Resistance would allow that to happen.

Poe took the faith Finn had in him seriously and was determined to make sure he earned that trust. So he answered as open as Finn did, laying everything out on the dejarik table.

He told Finn that before General Organa approached him, he had wished the First Order would attack already and give him something to do on his boring perimeter sweeps. About the guilt he felt for losing so many pilots during their last encounter at D’Qar, for letting his overwhelming fear and desperation blind him to the cost of his actions. Poe even confessed his deepest shame, telling his dad he wished he was the one who had died if it meant mom would still be alive.

Finn’s response was to pull him into the fiercest hug he’d ever experienced, rubbing Poe’s back while he murmured soothing words.

His unfazed attitude and easy acceptance surprised Poe. It really shouldn’t have, Finn had never shown any judgement toward him. Anger, fear, shame, foolishness were all things Finn understood. He may not have had the same experiences, but he made plenty of his own mistakes. He wasn’t going to hold Poe’s against his, especially seeing how much he wanted to make things right.

The better they knew each other, the more inseparable they became. Not too long ago, that would’ve scared them both, but this felt right.

 

* * *

 

Unlike the fiery intensity of Poe and Finn, Rey and Rose fell into a easy flow with each other. Their days filled with patterns and routines that helped strengthen their bond and easily allowed them to normalize after an attack or a mission. It was comforting to have that sort of stability with someone, especially when some unthinkable menace could pop up at any moment.

They were a little clumsy at the start, taking extra precautions not to overstep boundaries or hurt feelings. Rose especially asked plenty of questions and checked in an endless amount of times.

_Are you free to talk for a little bit?_

_Can I hold your hand?_

_Would you like some company, it’s okay if you want to be alone._

It seemed like a lot to other people, but it helped Rey get used to sharing her thoughts and feelings, and it calmed Rose’s nerves enough that being around her didn’t make her sweaty in the bad way.

The first  _big_  thing Rose asked Rey was if they could share a bed for sleeping, or at least be close in the same quarters. Rose didn’t like to sleep alone. She used to sneak into her parents bed, or fall asleep next to Paige in the observation dome of their home or in their shared space on D’Qar. She tried blankets, various pillows, even left machine or droid parts in bed in order to feel like someone was next to her.

It never worked and Rose hardly slept those nights. And Rose loved sleeping almost as much as Rey loved eating.

Rey agreed even though she had never shared a bed with someone before. The cramped and limited number of spaces on the  _Falcon_  meant that they would be together on a bunk. They would be close, and although Rey could feel Rose’s nervousness, she saw the relief and hope on her face. It would be fine, Rey told herself, cuddling was really just prolonged hugging, and Rey really, really liked hugging Rose.

Quite quickly, Rey realized one of her favorite things about Rose was how warm she always was. Used to the scorching sun of Jakku and living in an AT-AT that trapped the heat throughout the night, Rey didn’t appreciate how cold space was and how inadequately any ship bigger than a snub fighter could hold any heat. Even though she could regulate her temperature with the Force, it was much, much nicer buried under a blanket with soft, lovely Rose.

Rose woke up one morning several days after they started sleeping together, suddenly very worried that Rey didn’t like this and had been forcing herself because of Rose. But when she rolled over, Rey gave her a contented and loving smile.

For once, Rose didn’t have to ask even though Rey would’ve been happy to answer.


End file.
